


Tears

by Mersheeple



Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [42]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:47:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25576039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: Hermione reflects on life and death. WARNINGS FOR CHARACTER DEATHS.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [42]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805746
Comments: 14
Kudos: 39





	Tears

**Author's Note:**

> FLASHING NEON SIGNS STATING THAT THERE IS CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS STORY - DO NOT SAY I HAVEN'T WARNED YOU!!!
> 
> Ahem...this comes from the prompt word "tears". I am not gifting this because OMG no one wants sad stuff as a gift!!!

He was gone. It was over. She watched in shock as his eyes closed, the tears that had once formed his memories fading from his skin to nothingness as there was no life left in him. She wanted to stay with him, to grip his hand, to hold him and beg him not to leave her. He had promised he would never leave her alone.

She had saved his life once, in exchange for all the times he had saved her. The evening of the Battle of Hogwarts, she had saved him and held him and let him cry out the memories that burned him, that broke him, that he had spent half his life hiding from. She had brushed his hair from his face, brushed a kiss on his forehead and then touched her lips to his.

The surge of magic had nearly burned her and she had gasped against his mouth, her breath flowing over his lips. He had taken a breath, stealing the very air from her lungs, and stealing a part of her soul in that moment of vulnerability. Oh, this wasn’t soul magic, no that had come later. This was just hope and a feeling.

It had taken her months of research to find that what she had found was her soulmate. Soulmates. With Severus Snape. That had been a surprise. That he had been angry and surly and uncomfortable and awkward around her when she had told him about her theory. He had told her that nothing would happen until she left Hogwarts and had then slammed the door in her face.

They had spent three years pussyfooting around each other until she had finally taken the bull by the horns. Or the snake by the tail. Or, truthfully, the bull-headed Slytherin bastard by the collar. She had initiated their physical relationship. He had made it romantic and sweet and perfect. Eventually. When he had finally admitted that she was the first person he had made love to. He had had sex but had never made love.

She smiled sadly at the memories of the first few times that they had lain together afterwards. How he had praised her and thanked her for everything. How he had kissed her hand and her cheek and her eyelids before asking permission to kiss her lips. How he had been so gentle with her when he realised the limit of her experience before him.

He may not have been beautiful in the traditional sense of the word but for her he was the most beautiful man in the world. The first time she had told him that he had cried like a baby, full blown sobs wracking his body as she stroked and petted his hair and shushed and soothed him.

He had made her so happy when he had asked her to be his wife. It had only taken him six months from that first impetuous kiss she had given him for him to get down on one knee. He had asked her and she had said yes, crying as she was wont to do when he made her happy.

They had shared ten years in singular bliss, just the two of them, and never felt like something was missing, regardless of what her friends thought. Her friends had expected that she would marry Severus straight away after the engagement. But Hermione had told Severus that she was ok with waiting until they were both ready.

They had finally married in front of a full moon, in the middle of a field, with only two witnesses they had pulled from Diagon Alley. They were man and wife and that was all that mattered. Their friends had been furious that she had ‘forgotten’ to invite them. But, as she had explained, the more people they invited, the more chance the Prophet would have to find out about it and publish horrid things about them both.

Their friends had been raising their children by the time Hermione and Severus were married and the nagging started immediately. Until Hermione had screamed at them that she couldn’t have children because of Bellatrix Fucking Lestrange. She hadn’t had a chance to turn to Severus and see how he felt about children before he disapparated.

She had followed him home, already crying over the fact he had left her. He sat on the bed, head in his hands, sobbing. And then he raised his head and said the four words that had broken her apart.

_How did you know?_

She had questioned him of course. And he had explained that Bellatrix Fucking Lestrange had tortured him too, making it impossible for him to father a child for her. She had told him she didn’t care because of her own inability to carry children because of the same witch.

They had lived together, happy, choosing a life of adventure instead of trying to fill their house with children. Severus admitted he had not ever considered wanting children anyway. Hermione was happy to remain childless as long as he felt no need to continue the Snape name.

Seventy years had passed from that first kiss. Seventy years of love and laughter and hope. And less tears than any of her friends had expected. Less tears than her friends had experienced.

But now his tears had dried, the pain of leaving her the first time he had cried in years. And hers were just beginning. She was still unsure if she could go on without him. But she would. She had promised him she would.

She lay next to him, her head on his shoulder, her tears drying as she took her last breath, their promises of together, forever carrying them through to the next life.

Their friends had to say goodbye to them together. It seemed only fitting. They had been better together in life, and they would be happy together in death. No tears or words were needed.


End file.
